IMDb > Jaws (1975)
Jaws
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Jaws (1975) -- When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.
Jaws (1975) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Writers:
Peter Benchley (screenplay) and
Carl Gottlieb (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Jaws on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 June 1975 (USA) more
Genre:
Thriller more
Tagline:
The Nation's No.1 Best-Selling Book now the Screen's Super-Thriller more
Plot:
When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(178 articles)
How Paranormal Activity became a frightening success
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 20 November 2009, 4:10 PM, PST)
Boos! & Whoop-doos!: An Evil Bunny Trash Town Called Liquor!
 (From MovieWeb. 18 November 2009, 9:26 AM, PST)
User Comments:
"You yell barracuda, everybody says, 'Hunh, what?' You yell shark, and we got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July." more (741 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Roy Scheider ... Brody
Robert Shaw ... Quint

Richard Dreyfuss ... Hooper
Lorraine Gary ... Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton ... Vaughn

Carl Gottlieb ... Meadows
Jeffrey Kramer ... Hendricks (as Jeffrey C. Kramer)
Susan Backlinie ... Chrissie
Jonathan Filley ... Cassidy
Ted Grossman ... Estuary Victim
Chris Rebello ... Michael Brody
Jay Mello ... Sean Brody
Lee Fierro ... Mrs. Kintner
Jeffrey Voorhees ... Alex Kintner
Craig Kingsbury ... Ben Gardner
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
124 min | USA:130 min (TV version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Portugal:M/12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1995) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Spain:T | USA:TV-14 | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Israel:PG | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (video rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:GP | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | USA:PG (Certificate #24175) | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16
Filming Locations:
American Legion Memorial Bridge, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA more
Company:
Zanuck/Brown Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
According to Steven Spielberg in the DVD 'making of' documentary, his original idea for introducing Quint was to have him in the local movie theater watching Moby Dick (1956) starring Gregory Peck. Quint was to be sitting at the back of the theater and laughing so loudly at the absurd special effects of the whale that he drove the other viewers to exit the theater, leaving Quint by himself. Spielberg says that the only thing that stopped him from doing that scene was Gregory Peck. Peck held part of the rights to that movie and when Spielberg approached him for permission, Peck turned him down. Not because he thought it was a bad idea to use the film that way, but because Peck didn't like his performance in Moby Dick (1956) and didn't want the film seen again. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The death certificate that Brody is typing for the first victim states that her death occurred at 11:50PM, but the sun was obviously shining when she entered the water. Also, the time of discovery of the body is stated as 10:20PM, but it is obviously the next morning when her body is discovered (Brody had just gotten out of bed when he received the phone call at home). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Tom Cassidy: What's your name again?
Christine 'Chrissie' Watkins: Chrissie.
Tom Cassidy: Where are we going?
Christine 'Chrissie' Watkins: Swimming
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Analog Hero in a Digital World: Making of 'Live Free or Die Hard' (2007) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Spanish Ladies more

FAQ

What are the major differences between the movie and the original novel?
Would an air tank really explode like that?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
133 out of 178 people found the following comment useful.
"You yell barracuda, everybody says, 'Hunh, what?' You yell shark, and we got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.", 14 August 1998
Author: TacoBilly from North Hollywood, CA

This is the movie that started it all. I'm not talking about the Hollywood blockbuster, or the insane madness that sent thousands of misunderstood Great Whites to their deaths, I'm talking about the beginning of my interest in movies. This is the movie that did it. I couldn't tell you how old I was when I first saw it, but I do remember this is the movie I made my parents rent time and time again when we went to the video store. This is the movie that drove my parents and some of my friends nuts while I watched it day after day after day when my mom gave it to me for Christmas. This is the movie that made me want to turn a real interest in the movies from just a hobby and into a career. For that, I owe Spielberg, Benchley, Scheider, Shaw, Dreyfuss, Williams, Fields and everyone else a sincere and heart-felt thank you. I own this movie on every format in which it is available. I love it that much. I've probably seen it between 200 and 300 times. I guess you can say it is an obsession. A sick obsession. The plot, the pacing, the editing, the score, the acting, and, oh yes, the shark. Who cares that is fake? By the time we finally get to see it, do we care? Truly, a more suspenseful movie was never made. Several come close, but none quite reaches the primal level the JAWS does. No other film so effectively taps into our fear of the unknown, and then gives it a riveting score to boot. No other movie grips us so strongly with heart stopping suspense that we find ourselves nearly falling off our seats. And no other movie leaves us feeling so spent and wasted after a viewing. And the reason for all the fear, suspense and emotional withdrawal is not top-notch special effects. It was the mid-70's. You can barely apply top -notch to anything of that era. The reason the movie does all that to us is that it is a great story. It is filled with real people, who have real jobs, and who have real fears. And who must now confront a real shark. Can you think of anything more terrifying that getting on a rickety, leaky boat to kill a 25-foot shark when you already have a paralyzing fear of the water? I can't. And Martin Brody sure can't. And so, no matter what ranking JAWS may get on AFI's list of the 100 greatest movies, or TV Guides list of the top 50 movies, or any list for that matter, JAWS will always come in number one on mine. Steven, Peter, Roy, Robert, Richard, John, and Verna -- thank you. Not for just giving me a sense of direction in my life, not for just making me want to be a screenwriter, but also for making a movie that still thrills me as much now when I watch it as when it did when I saw it for the very first time.



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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The GREATEST opening scene ever! NYJetsAFL
Can Anyone Hate this Movie? opeth-
What was Quint Eating? terpsfan7649
significance of Quint's story? Sk8SkaNJ
Swimming backward? GreatWhiteApeofBarsoom
Hollywood needs another good shark movie. jhpstrydom
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